Jan 16

Jan 16 Dreaming again

The summer between 11th and 12th grade of high-school I was thinking about college like most 17 year-olds. I dreamt about which university I would attend and what I would study. Who I would live with and what sports I'd play. The clubs I would join and the minor I would choose. That same summer I went on a short-term missions trip that changed my life. I was baptized that week and immediately heard God call me into international long-term missions! Wow! What a change!

My thoughts transformed from which university to which country. From who I would live with to how I would live. It was exciting to say the least! For my entire last year of high-school I was focused on this new dream. As friends sent in their college applications God opened up doors for me to serve Him in Chile with OM. The day after high-school graduation I started fundraising and January 2016 I caught a flight to Santiago, Chile; my new home!

I’ve lived here for one year and things have been busy! In November I got the chance to go on a group outreach to the south of Chile. Included in the trip was a Life Direction Seminar where we took time to examine ourselves and recognize our gifts, abilities, strengths and weaknesses, goals and dreams. So much changed this year; practically everything in my life is different than 365 days ago. That’s when I realized I hadn’t thought beyond Chile.

For over two years Chile had been my focus; in the year leading up to my trip I was focused on fundraising and making all of the preparations and when I arrived I immediately fell in love with the ministry and learning the language. I was focused on making friends and not getting lost in the metro and in all the busyness I hadn’t giving myself space or time to dream beyond Chile.

On that November outreach I began thinking about university again. I began thinking about countries to serve in and different languages to learn. I began thinking about local ministry, sports and traveling. I made a giant list titled “Things I’m thinking” because I couldn’t keep track as the thoughts flooded in. I felt like all of my unspoken dreams had built up inside of me and came pouring out all at once. It was incredible!

I have one more year in Chile, and I don’t want to waste a second. I want to soak up everything God wants to teach me, not missing a single opportunity to serve Him. More than anything I don’t want to get stuck looking to the future and miss the beautiful now. But I will say that it felt like a breath of fresh air to freely think about my future. I have no idea which (if any) of those dreams will come true, God has His perfect path for my life and I don’t want to stray off it even a little. God has given us passions and desires, and it’s fun to let ourselves dream.

What are you dreaming of?

OM Instagram

As the Bus4Life travels through Moldova, young visitors show a great interest in the various forms of Children's Bibles on offer.

#OM60years Being a go-fer for George Verwer

Most people recognise OM Founder George Verwer from his world map windbreaker and the giant globe he throws around at speaking engagements. Those closer to him know that he is the king of correspondence, always in touch via email, letters and calls. But one group of men have spent the most hours with George and likely been the most impacted—his ‘go-fers’. Travelling with him for a year, they help keep up with emails, sell books and act as chauffeur, bodyguard, errand boy and whatever else George needs. In return, his go-fers go everywhere with him. George told his 2005 go-fer Nathan Smith, “I will take you all over the world. I will give you meaningful opportunities to serve. I will offer you the ability to do some incredible things.” One of those meaningful opportunities for Nigel Paul, go-fer in 2006, was preaching at a house church in Al-Qaeda territory in Pakistan.

The lessons go-fers have learnt from George will never be forgotten.

Becoming a go-fer

The first time Nathan heard George speak, he was a student at Moody Bible Institute. “The place was electrified by him being there,” remembers Nathan. “He talked openly about his struggle with sin. And yet he grew this amazing organisation that reached over a billion people with the gospel.” Nathan recalls him putting his hand on the outline of Iraq on the globe and praying for his friends there. Nathan was blown away imagining having friends in Iraq and all over the world. He thought, “It would be the coolest thing to travel with George…but that would never happen to me.” Yet two years later, Nathan was boarding a plane to meet George in London and remembers thinking, “Lord, you heard me and gave me this opportunity.” With George, Nathan travelled to 39 countries. The last country was Iraq, where Nathan could now say he had friends too.

George’s legacy

Nathan learnt two major things. The first was that God uses broken people, and that was how George operated within OM: He never said no to someone who wanted to serve, even if they disagreed with him theologically.

Lovely covered markets provide cultural interactions in the Arabian Peninsula.
Photo by Kathryn Berry

#Repost @thefcusa (@get_repost)
・・・
These photos sum up what an amazing time we've had in Colorado - we are sad to be leaving but we come away with so many great memories, new friendships, a few blisters!, and a much deeper awareness of what it means to fight for freedom for those women and children trapped in slavery today. We are so grateful to everyone who has taken part - we love your passion and commitment, your energy and your desire to make a difference in the world. And we are so thankful to everyone who's supported us by donating and by praying - we couldn't do this without you! There is still time to give if you would like to support these wonderful ladies in their efforts! Link in bio.⠀
⠀
#EP2017 #FreedomChallengeEstesPark2017 #YourChallengeTheirFreedom #FreedomChallenge #Colorado

#OM60years #Sportministry #Hungary #Baseball
Bringing Christ to the youth of Hungary
The impact of baseball as an outreach tool has grown far beyond a one-week camp that OM worker Terry Lingenhoel, from the USA, began in the summer of 2002 in Érd, Hungary. Today, with over 120 players on eight teams, the Érd Baseball and Softball Club is the largest in the country.
Although only a small percentage of the population plays baseball in Érd, a town of 75,000, most residents know that it is played there, and most city officials and hundreds of parents and former players know that the coaches are followers of Christ who coach differently.

Terry has found sports ministry to be the best tool in reaching non-churched youth and forming long-term relationships. The response of players testifies to its influence. During a recent summer camp, one player said that his best experience was when his coach encouraged his hitting during his very first practice years ago, despite the way he had played. Another player said that the spiritual input received from coaches was “the icing on the cake”. “Making contact with players is the most important thing,” says Terry. Often Christians have trouble making contact with teens and men, as many do not readily respond to an invitation to come to a church event—but they’ll accept an invitation to play baseball.

The coaches interact with players two or more times weekly during practice, giving ample opportunity to demonstrate and share their faith. Summer camps give extended times to hold Bible studies in small groups; during such a time, one young boy, Máté, was challenged to ask God to reveal Himself. Asked why he did not believe in God, he responded that he didn’t know how a God who knew his past could love him.

During the study, the group discussed how God used Paul, who was the worst of the worst, and made him into a most effective preacher of the gospel. One week after the camp, Máté accepted Christ. The team rejoiced at the news of one new life given to the Lord. Two other boys who had already accepted Christ were baptised a few months later in front of many of their baseball team.

One of the most well-known and often-quoted passages of Scripture came from the mouth of Jesus in Matthew 28, when He said to go into all the world and make disciples. Its context, in our modern-day usage, is evangelism, with an emphasis on going; and yet, for various reasons, we Christ-followers have a hard time on the ‘go.’ We love to talk about it, but when it comes to acting on it, we just can’t seem to get on board. The general opinion is that we are too scared of rejection; I’m guilty of this—before I joined OM I had only done evangelism once before in my life. But rejection is an inevitable outcome of evangelism. Jesus Himself preached to thousands in His three years of ministry and after He ascended to heaven in Acts 1 His number of followers is recorded at 120. Plenty of people rejected Christ Himself and so we can expect they will reject us too.

One of the first things I did when I joined OM was the Africa Trek, a three-month missions discipleship programme that took me and 17 others through Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania. Before we set off on our journey, we spent two weeks in South Africa covering the basics of the Christian faith and missions involvement. Topics included faith and the Christian life and our relationship to others through evangelism — specifically in the context of international missions. During this time of discipleship training we went to a nearby mall for some evangelism — the prospect of which terrified me seeing as how I wasn’t exactly a proficient evangelist. I’m not one to walk up to strangers and talk about anything, let alone a topic that could potentially leave the other person laughing and calling me a weirdo.

But before we went out, we discussed John 6:44 and its relationship to evangelism: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day (NIV).” Our Trek Leader relieved me of an incredible pressure when he reminded us that the work of saving people is God’s business, not ours. We don’t have to carry the burden of drawing people to God; that’s something only He can do.

Instead, my leader explained to us the concept of “switching on the light”

MDT-e3 students taking a walk with the kids in a Romanian village.
#ilovemdt #training #Romania

#Repost @omsouthafrica (@get_repost)
・・・
OM in South Africa is a celebrating a big milestone this year.
OM was birthed in 1987 in South Africa
and this year we are celebrating our 30th anniversary.

Keep an eye on our post,
there will be FUN FACTS QUIZ every Tuesdays till 15th Aug:) #OMInternational #OMSouthAfrica
#30years #aniversary #celebration

Freeing the Dalits #India #OM60years
In 1963, the first OM team travelled overland from Europe to India, sharing the good news along the way. Over the next 30 years, OM teams, through personal witness, literature distribution and correspondence courses, reflected God’s love across all of India.
In 1988, it became evident to Indian leadership that it was no longer enough to address the spiritual state of an individual apart from the physical, economic, social and political state of the culture. OM needed to respond to the hundreds of millions of poor and marginalised in the country, specifically the lowest caste of Indian society: the Dalit-Bahujan people, or ‘untouchables’. “The cry of the Dalits and other poor, marginalised people of India is for freedom,” said Joseph D’souza, Moderator Bishop of Good Shepherd Church of India. “This earnest plea is an appeal for massive social, moral and spiritual change. It is a call to rid their world of the oppression of caste ideology. It is a demand for simple human dignity in response to the current realities of modern slavery, the oppression of women, economic discrimination and rampant poverty.” In 2001, in partnership with others, the OM Good Shepherd ministry took steps to make transformational changes in communities through medical clinics, primary schools in English, adult literacy classes, vocational and business training and more, with the goal to alleviate poverty amongst the Dalit people. Everything was done in the name of Christ, and new Christian communities reproduced quickly.

#Repost @omsingapore (@get_repost)
・・・
No matter what your style is, come as you are and serve God with your unique gifts and marketplace skills. Are you willing to go? Email Cleo at cleo.clara@om.org for mission opportunities suited for you. #omsingapore #missions

#Repost @om_ireland (@get_repost)
・・・
Here's a recap from our first day of Impact Ireland training yesterday! We welcomed our short term participants, had a 'Meet Your Team' time, an introduction meeting, a time of musical worship, and prayer for the churches we will be serving with and for the upcoming weeks of ministry! We want to bathe every aspect of our Impact Ireland outreach in prayer. Will you join us? We're just getting started here at #om_ireland....stay tuned, big things are ahead.
•
•
•
#om_ireland #OMInternational #OMblog #missions #missionsminded #leastreached

Asana’s redemption

Like the Kayeye porters, Asana came from northern Ghana out of necessity. The third of six children, she watched her parents divorce because of her father’s mental illness; her mother travelled south to become one of the Kayeye. Asana lived with her grandmother and had plans to study beauty therapy, but at 10 years old she convinced her grandmother to let her travel south as well, to make money for school expenses, which she hadn’t been able to afford for quite some time.

In southern Ghana, Asana’s sister, a Kayeye porter, recognised immediately that Asana was too young to carry such heavy loads on her head—though if her sister hadn’t intervened, she would have gone the way of other girls who find themselves stuck with a metal bowl and an endless demand for work in brutal conditions.

Instead, Asana took a job as a dishwasher for a woman who sold waakye, a popular Ghanaian dish, on the side of the road. The woman agreed to pay Asana 5 cedis (approximately US$1.25) at the end of each day; as time went on, however, Asana learned that the woman had no interest in paying her more than once a week—and even then, whatever spare change she felt like giving Asana.

Cheated of her payment and alone, Asana found herself trapped on the street for more than a year, caught in a web of verbal abuse and mistreatment.

In 2015, a Canadian missionary working with the OM Ghana team introduced herself to Asana, and immediately talked with OM Ghana Field Leader Chris Insaidoo about stepping in to help. It wasn’t until November 2015 that OM Ghana secured Asana’s trust and her family’s approval; by then, Asana had returned north and was once again living in poverty. Though her grandmother at first resisted the idea, OM Ghana convinced her to bring Asana into a new, better life in the south.

Now 12 years old and living at an OM Ghana home for girls in Kumasi, Asana is once again in school—the funds provided completely by OM Ghana—and is at the top of her class. Her vision has changed: no longer does she want to study beauty therapy; now she plans to become a nurse, and return north to help the mentally ill where basic health care is inaccessible.

#Repost @omriverboats (@get_repost)
・・・
January next year we will visit this beautiful city #dordrecht with the OM Riverboat.

#Repost @omunitedkingdom (@get_repost)
・・・
Thanks to OM's #SafeHaven projects across Europe, refugees are learning languages and settling into new cultures.
.
Here, OM Germany are helping Afghan families adjust to their new situations.
.
Read more about OM's #SafeHaven and #SafePassage projects in the latest UK Global Magazine: www.uk.om.org/pray/global-magazine
.

#bringingGoodNews #Gl🌍bal #omprayer #refugeees #europe #🇩🇪 Photo Credit: Garret N

#OM60years
As #Doulos sailed towards the #PapuaNewGuinean island of Bougainville in September 1999, her crewmembers felt undercurrents of trepidation for a place where a ceasefire had only recently been declared after a decade-long civil war.
Destruction was widespread with burnt-out villages swallowed by jungle and previously-thriving businesses now rubble. Issues that led the Bougainville Revolutionary Army to fight for independence had not been fully resolved, but there was a delicate peace, a governing structure, and an invitation for #OMShips Ministry to return.

Captain Graeme Bird charted his course warily. The harbour was a minefield of hazards. No international vessel had moored in the port of Kieta since Doulos departed nine and a half years earlier. Every navigation light was broken. The wharf had not been serviced and the water had become a dumping ground for all manner of debris, including vehicles.

The ship had been there as the conflict began. In January 1990, a day before Doulos was due alongside, permission for all ministry activities was revoked as violence escalated. An exceptional solution was found, with the vessel’s lifeboats acting as water taxis to ferry Bougainvilleans to the ship at anchor. Many people gave their lives to Christ as they heard the gospel on board.

David Short, a Ship Ministry stalwart who’d previously worked in Papua New Guinea, was helping the advance preparation team. In a café in Kieta, he noticed a smart-looking gentleman eating his evening meal. When David told the diner about Doulos, the man introduced himself as Joseph Kabui, president of the Bougainville People’s Congress and interim leader of the island. He invited the ship’s representatives to his office the following morning.

The next day, President Kabui presented two requests. First, would Doulos hold a seminar on prayer for Bougainville’s new leaders; and second, could its politicians have training in good governing principles? “I couldn’t believe it!” recalls David. “Of course, this has happened many times—meeting the right person at the right time. God was very much guiding and directing…a leader doesn’t normally ask those sorts of questions!”

#Repost @omships (@get_repost)
・・・
Leanne Pounder (UK) spent much of her youth living in Asia, the Middle East, and the United States, and was open with event participants as she explained that the multi-cultural upbringing left her feeling like she did not belong anywhere. Leanne had always relied on her family to be the unchanging factor in her life, and when that constant failed, she felt lost. Leanne shared her story of how she found her identity in something greater than a place or a group of people.

Sponsoring food distribution in Kurdistan

In Kurdistan – where millions of internally displaced peoples (IDPs) have settled into monotonous camps, obscure villages and unfinished buildings – food continues to be the number one need.
At a spring 2016 UN meeting held in Kurdistan, speakers emphasised the ongoing need for food assistance yet acknowledged the constant reduction of aid, said long-term worker and attendee, Karina*. In the beginning, displaced families living in large camps received two food packages a month, later only one, and then a single reduced portion, she explained. Now, even that aid has become irregular. “Our partners mainly work in the unfinished buildings and [informal] camps, people who are spread out…and even in the mountains,” she stated.

Fifty-nine percent of OM aid given to the Kurdistan region in the first three quarters of 2016 ($520,600) provided food assistance for 20,500 families. Other relief funds went to health, hygiene and medical costs as well as seasonal assistance, such as providing propane bottles used for cooking and heating.

Many of the IDPs whose desperate pictures appear worldwide lived in well-off situations prior to Daesh (ISIS) invasions. “They are not [inherently] poor, but they are made poor because they lost everything,” Karina’s husband James* explained.

One IDP believer, Rashid*, “was clever enough to realise the situation and leave before they had to flee,” James said. Rashid and his family moved to Kurdistan ahead of the crisis. Now, they regularly volunteer in a local church, where, James noted, the joy of serving Jesus in a body of believers “keeps them going.” Their money, on the other hand, is disappearing. “He has no work, they [left their home] two years ago, and they start using up what they had,” James said.

Unlike Rashid, most IDPs were caught off guard and fled with no provisions. Initially, donations poured in from around the globe, but two and a half years later, financial support has waned. “You think now they should start to be self-sufficient, but how?” James asked. “There is no work…There are camps all over, and in one camp, there are 25,000 people.” Read the rest of story at OM news

OM Tweets

Pray for Mercy Ministry’s new rescue home for girls in #Zambia. Pray for wisdom and guidance. #OMprayer OM Africa https://t.co/6o1FpKIcBN
about a day ago
#quote #WeAreOM picture made by OM Australia https://t.co/U4d0pmVCI3
about 2 days ago
Great prayer tool book from OM Zimbabwe. #OMprayer https://t.co/Kunqo4JHJT
about 2 days ago
Most people recognise OM Founder George Verwer from his world map windbreaker and the giant globe he throws... https://t.co/Wg5Y59VuSm
about 2 days ago
“Nothing so clears the vision and lifts up the life as a decision to move forward in what you know to be entirely... https://t.co/dJchSgUxVw
about 3 days ago

Operation Mobilisation works in over 110 countries, motivating and equipping people to share God’s love with people all over the world.

For more information:

Jan 16 Dreaming again

Operation Mobilisation works in over 110 countries, motivating and equipping people to share God’s love with people all over the world.

For more information:

Jan 16 Dreaming again

Jan 23 Counted worthy to suffer

Jan 10 Reverse cultural shock

Related Posts